Hello, This is my first post. I am a newbie and need some advice. I just learned how to fly a drone. I bought a cheap Syma to learn and I'm ready to upgrade. I am a real airplane Pilot/Flight instructor and I just got my FAA drone license as well, but these drones are something completely different. Hats off to you guys that are experts. I see it takes months of practice to become proficient. Anyways, here is my issue: My wife is a realtor and I'm gonna start doing videos and indoor stills for her home listings. I have already done a ton of research and I'm down to 2 possible drones. The Autel X-star premium and the Yuneec Q500 4k. I will not buy a DJI so please don't suggest it. I have read to many negatives on service, reliability issues, cracked frames, failures etc.. I get that they have all this great technology but for me that is useless if the thing does not work as advertised. Also, for what I need it, I can do away with certain features. My budget is $1000. The big differences I see in the two is that the X-star is much smaller than the Q500 and the Q500 has the steady grip which for indoor shots seems good. I did see a video though of somebody taking indoor video with the X-star by holding the drone and walking it through the house. I think the MOST important thing to me would be reliability and the quality of the product and of course customer service and turnaround times in case I need to send it in. If I get the Q500 I can just use the steady grip for the indoor stills. I also like the idea of the Q500 having a built in screen on the controller. Seems more functional than a phone or tablet. It also seems more professional if I do any filming for hire. Which would you choose and why? I look forward to your responses and expert opinions. Thanks
Well, you asked. The Q500 is ancient, doesn't take the wind well and breaks very easily. I also have my own worries about the company staying in biz in the long run. It's likely they are losing a lot of money (they expected a LOT more sales and used a one-time investment to develop their H).... The X-Star is definitely a better model IMHO - better camera, better wind resistance, better app, your choice of more screens and more. But I want to be honest with you here - I'd be very surprised if they are making a profit. They laid off most all of their marketing staff and are very far behind in delivering many things they promised. Even the initial introduction of the model was delayed for a full year. Sales were decent at first but have slowed. This is a very tough business. So, in summary, I'd buy the Autel between the two. But I'd buy DJI (and do) above either. I'd flown at least 10 DJI models and never had to send one back - never had one crash, etc. In trying to be safe, you might actually be doing the opposite. That is, you may be in for a higher cost of ownership in the end...but it's your money. If I were paranoid about DJI service I'd do one of two things... 1. Have a backup drone. A refurb P3S is about $350 - and in some ways it beats the Q. Actually, this is something you should have anyway if your new bix relies on DEFINITELY having to be someone on a particular day or hour. 2. Buy a true 3rd party warranty through Neary Aerial https://neary-aerial.com/product-category/drone-service-contracts/ The vast majority of mishaps...and even of returns and warranty work...are the result of the pilot/customer. This does not mean any of the drone are perfect, but more that pilots/customers either make mistakes, don't learn their machine or (most likely) don't work around the idiosyncrasies of their particular machine(s). Remember, you are effectively buying a "toy" - given the price and what you get. But you are getting much more than your monies worth in just about all cases (except the Q, which I consider a fine machine for 2014, but a relic at this point). Very few people actually use the steady grip. I'd suggest buying a gimbal for your phone ( I use an Osmo Mobile, but you can get other brands if you don't want DJI). Again, things have advanced greatly since that machine and the steady grip.
Hey thanks for the responses. I chose a Q500 4K. I just received an offer from B&H last night. I got the deal for $499 New not refurbished with free shipping. It was a 1 day deal that they had so at that price to start, I could not say no. It's a nice kit that includes the case, 2 batteries, steady grip etc.. I think at that price it was a deal for a first semi-pro drone. I will start with that since it didn't break the bank and in the future I'm sure I will be purchasing another one. By the way, your post about not being sure if Yuneec will be around, I don't know if you knew this but Yuneec has more cash that DJI, alot more! DJI's core business is drones, Yuneec is an electric "REAL AIRPLANE" manufacturer that has been in business for much longer that DJI. Yuneec's core business are airplanes, not drones. The drone division is a small portion of their business. The intel investment was simply for the real sense system that has been adapted to the Typhoon H. It was not an investment that directly affects Yuneec's bottom line. Again Thanks for the help, I will post some follow up's when I receive it and fly it.
First of all, congrats and I hope it serves you well. However, as a history nut and an industry consultant I feel the need to correct you when it comes to Yuneecs business. No, they don't make real airplanes. They tried to make an electric airplane but that company filed bankruptcy (closed the doors, closed web site - no notice to the industry or any other statements) . A pilot was killed in one of the prototypes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GreenWing_International http://light-sport-hangar-flyin.blogspot.com/2011/05/electric-prototype-and-pilot-lost.html Yuneecs actual business is/was toys. That is, they first made private label (OEM) units for Blade/Horizon. I think they still do. Intel invested in the hopes that Yuneec would flourish (like DJI) and Intel would then not only make $$ on their investment, but have a platform for their chips (including Realsense, but much more). Now Intel claims it has exited the Drone biz (it won't make them)...but will concentrate on AI and OA systems - Intel purchased the company DJI uses for their OA and more (movidius). Anyway, this business stuff is boring to many...but I don't like to see rumors spreading around. If you know of links stating Yuneec making real planes today and making money from them (selling large quantities), please feel free to post them.
